ESA Pitch Competition 2025

🚀 NYU Stern Entrepreneurship and Startup Association (ESA) Presents

The First-Ever ESA Pitch Competition

Are you ready to pitch your startup idea to a panel of seasoned judges and compete for incredible opportunities? Whether you’re a budding entrepreneur or have a fully developed business, this is your chance to showcase your innovative ideas! We welcome both contestants and audience members—come be a part of the excitement, support the entrepreneurs, and network with top investors and founders!
 

📅 Date: February 21, 2025

🕙 Time: 10 AM - 3 PM

📍 Location: NYU Stern KMC, Room 1-100

Event Highlights:

• Pitch Your Business Idea: Present your startup to a panel of VCs and a successful founder for invaluable feedback and exposure.

• Network with Industry Leaders: Connect with top-tier investors, experienced founders, and fellow entrepreneurs.

• Valuable Prizes: Winners will gain the chance to meet with distinguished judges for an in-depth discussion to refine their ideas.

• Learn and Grow: Receive constructive feedback to shape your startup journey and prepare for the next steps.

Competition Structure:

The pitch competition will be divided into two tracks to accommodate different stages of startup development. Each track will feature a presentation followed by feedback from our esteemed panel of judges. Here’s what you need to know:

• Early Spark Track: 

  • Pitch Duration: 3-5 minutes

  • Team: We recommend at most 2 people in one team; please identify at least 1 lead presenter. Your team should include at least 1 NYU-affiliated member.

  • Pitch Deck: Submit before February 9 at 11:59 pm via [LINK]

  • Who Should Apply: Ideal for startups or ideas in the very early stages, where the focus is on showcasing the vision and potential of the business.

  • Format: Participants will have 3-5 minutes to present their startup ideas. You are encouraged to focus on the problem you’re solving, your unique value proposition, and any traction you’ve gained so far. Judges will provide constructive feedback on your pitch and help guide you in shaping your startup for the next steps.

• Development Track:

  • Pitch Duration: 5-7 minutes

  • Team: We recommend at most 3 people in one team; please identify at least 1 lead presenter. Your team should include at least 1 NYU-affiliated member. 

  • Pitch Deck: Submit before February 9 at 11:59 pm via [LINK]

  • Who Should Apply: This track is designed for entrepreneurs with a more developed concept or business model. Ideal for teams/startups that have a clearer product or service offering, or those with early-stage products looking to refine their pitch and approach

  • Format: Participants will have 5-7 minutes to present their pitch, including a breakdown of the market opportunity, business model, go-to-market strategy, and financials (if applicable). Judges will help you refine your approach for pitching to investors.

Tentative Agenda:

• 9:30 am    Registration
• 10:00 am  Openings
• 10:20 am  Early Spark Track Competition
• 11:30 am  Lunch Break
• 12:15 pm  Development Track Competition - Section 1
• 1:15 pm    Break
• 1:30 pm    Development Track Competition - Section 2
• 2:30 pm    Break
• 2:45 pm    Winners Announcement & Closing
• 3:00 pm    Open Networking Session

Contestant Sign-Up:

👉 Sign up by February 2, 2025 to participate. Your team should include at least 1 NYU-affiliated member. For security purposes, please ensure to specify any non-NYU attendees. Contestants must sign up via [Google Form link].

Audience Sign-Up:

👉 Non-contestants are invited to attend for a small fee depending on affiliation with ESA. [Sign up via CampusGroup link]

• ESA Member: $10
• Non-ESA Member: $20

Q&A + Contact:

🔍 We will be hosting an additional information session in January 2025 to help you gather the resources and tips you need for your pitch preparation. Stay tuned for more details!

For questions or additional information, please reach out to:
📧 Prashant Pokhriyal at psp8483@stern.nyu.edu
📧 Jessie Yu at cy2879@stern.nyu.edu

Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to present your startup and make valuable connections at the first-ever ESA Pitch Competition!